Silverman: Vigneault Unable To Rally Flatlining Rangers

By Steve Silverman
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There was a stench about Thursday night's Rangers-Penguins playoff game that will not go away in the near future.

The Penguins played as if their lives depended on it, and not like a team that had regained home-ice advantage and a 2-1 lead in the series.

The Rangers played the role of convivial hosts, and they were glad to let the Pens add goal after goal in a 5-0 Pittsburgh victory.

The blame can be spread in lots of places, as basically all parties were guilty. The forwards had little jam when the puck was in the Pittsburgh zone, and there was no resolve shown when it came to fighting for possession.

The defense is supposed to be this team's pride, joy and signature, but the Rangers were giving up the blue line very early in this game. When it came to puck retrieval and then carrying it out of the zone, that was simply not a menu option that the Penguins were allowing.

Then there was the goaltending, which is normally this team's greatest strength in the postseason. Critics may complain that Henrik Lundqvist has not brought the Rangers a Stanley Cup, but he has done everything else throughout his run at Madison Square Garden.

MORE: Hartnett: Looks Like Another Year And The Same Bitter Story For Lundqvist

Despite his past success, Lundqvist was simply off his game Thursday night.

However, instead of spreading the blame to all of these areas, let's focus on the man in charge of preparing his team to play night after night.

Alain Vigneault had looked like a true pro in his first two years behind the New York bench. The former Vancouver Canucks boss had taken the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final against the Los Angeles Kings in 2014 and to the seventh game of the Eastern Conference finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning last year.

He had pushed the right buttons and gotten his team to step up in series against the Penguins in both of those seasons, so he clearly knows what it takes to beat Pittsburgh and win in the postseason.

That's why it was so shocking when he was interviewed by NBC's Pierre McGuire midway through the first period with the Rangers already trailing 2-0.

McGuire pointed out during the first 10 minutes of the game that it was clear the Penguins were there to compete while the Rangers were doing something else as they waltzed around the ice. There was no way that McGuire could get around asking Vigneault the usual in-game question because it was so clear that the Rangers were in the process of getting run out of their own building.

McGuire asked the Rangers' coach about his team's compete level and what it was going to take for the Blueshirts to give more of an effort in the game.

Vigneault did not seem taken aback by the question, and he did not give the appearance of being angry or embarrassed by his team's performance. Instead, he chose to compliment the Penguins.

"We are playing a very fast and talented team," he said. It was as if he knew his team's fate even though there was still 50 minutes to play.

By the end of the period, the score had reached 3-0 when Pittsburgh rookie Connor Sheary blocked a shot, corralled the puck, went in on Lundqvist and beat him cleanly.

McGuire couldn't believe what he was seeing from between the benches. This was not some nondescript game in late January or early February. This was a New York Rangers' home playoff game, and the Blueshirts were mailing it in.

McGuire said the Rangers were going to get read the riot act in between periods and that they would not come out the same way for the second period.

But the Rangers did not receive the message that McGuire and the Rangers fans were expecting. The Penguins remained on fire, and when Evgeni Malkin scored on a power play four minutes into the second period, the game was over.

Vigneault acknowledged as much by pulling Lundqvist from the net and not making him absorb any more carnage.

There is something rotten going on with the Rangers right now. They appeared to have a good chance to compete in this series after they took Game 2 in Pittsburgh, but they were ghosts in Games 3 and 4 at home.

Vigneault seems like he has given up, and after watching the Penguins leave it all on the ice for two straight games, he is probably right.

But he is the captain of the ship, and it's his job to get the Rangers back on course. He can't just sit back and take it. That's a recipe that could leave him on the outside looking in. That's something that could happen sooner rather than later.

Follow Steve on Twitter at @ProFootballBoy